The Whole Caboodle

"The colours, the holes, the shapes, the rhymes - everything is within Linda Bondestam and Laura Ruohonen's picture book. There is also a sharp dose of social criticism. (...) Ruohonen is an acclaimed author of children's poetry, playwright and director. She brings the picture book a distinctive sense of elegant wordplay and accurate drama. Bondestam acts as the ultimate stage designer and provides each new scene with a new exciting environment, a herd of characters and astonishing twist and turns. (...)It's a colour fest like no other. (...)The centrepiece of The Whole Caboodle are the holes in the book pages. (…)The holes create a momentum throughout the book ,and Bondestam excels in allowing them look both forwards and backwards. (...)The theme of our broken relationship with nature is highly topical."

"A whimsical voyage of discovery in the spirit of Tove Jansson."

"Laura Ruohonen, a master of children's poetry, this time follows in the footsteps of Tove Jansson's iconic hole-in-the-wall book, Whatever Happened Then. The Konkkaronkka storybook has the right balance of serenity and a sense of danger(...) Linda Bondestam's imaginative and rich illustrations capture the different holiday moods beautifully."

"It is a tribute to Jansson's classic although the story is unique."

"This visually captivating children's book on the same level as Tove Jansson's classic - The Whole Caboodle appeals with its rhymes and cut-out holes (...) The Whole Caboodle is a visually stunning and linguistically skilfully constructed picture book (...) The Whole Caboodle will also keep adult readers interested. I was particularly fascinated by the book's balanced colour palette, the refreshing details and the imaginative poems."

"The Whole Cabooble has the potential, like "Hur gick det sen?", to become a future classic, especially since so many children's books in Sweden are written with this kind of innovative approach. In the meantime, I hope there will be a sequel to this picture book, which is one of this year's absolute best."

"There is no shortage of imagination when it comes to the characters, the playfulness of the words, or the breathtaking locations that the caboodle visits during their adventure.(...) As a whole, the book clearly has the ability to capture the attention and spark the imagination of younger children and older readers alike - especially thanks to Bondestam's personal touch on landscapes, angles, colours and characters."

“This expressive, colourful romp is captivating. The holes in the pages form delightful wormholes into the book’s spacetime, and the storytelling takes numerous unexpected turns. The high-quality technical production in both the printing and the finishing invites you to read the book with your hands as well as with your eyes.”